On the latest episode of Before the Bigs Music Podcast I got my friend and rapper Kosha Dillz on the show. We talk about his latest song “Tubeshvat Hop”, his upcoming plans including his own showcase at SXSW 2015 and Warped Tour this summer and he even spits a little freestyle for us! For more on Kosha Dillz, visit koshadillzworld.com

I also play tunes from Madeon featuring Passion Pit, new singles from Great Good Fine OK, Penguin Prison, new feature on Flor, Sameblod, That’s Nice featuring vocals from Miami Horror lead singer Josh Moriarty, Coleman Hell, TC4, debut song from Boo Seeka and new new from Remi Miles.

If you don’t want to hear me talk and just want the songs we played on the podcast, stream and download below.(more…)

So we are soon approaching something very awesome in LA featuring over 60 musicians in a 30 day period in November. Starting November 1st through November 30th, Red Bull Sound Select has put together 30 concerts showcasing various talents and I can’t be more excited. My coworkers at The Grammys and I have been talking about this constantly about what shows were going to, as I’m really excited not only because of the musical variety that RBSS has curated during the month of November but highlighting local acts that need more attention and curating shows at venues all over this vast city of Angels. Below I’m here to tell you which 5 shows you definitely can’t miss! (more…)

Today is Lazy Sunday but I’ve decided to get out of bed and blog after lying down and listening to this track earlier today and realizing it’s sensual soulful joy with glittery beats from producer Maths Time Joy and vocal ecstasy from Gallant.

Hotly tipped LA artist Gallant has revealed a new track today in “Jupiter Greyscale”. Produced by Maths Time Joy and featured on Gallant’s upcoming debut EP Zebra, the track is a study in intricate beats from MTJ and the showstopping vocal of Gallant.

The artist has gained fans at Pitchfork, The Guardian, NME, Noisey and BBC Radio 1 with his chilling falsetto, beguiling many on tracks from his upcoming debut EP, Zebra. FollowingIf It Hurts, Manhattanand Forfeit is Jupiter Greyscale. Hooking up with hotly tipped UK producer Maths Time Joy, the track is a study in intricate beats and stunning vocals. With Zebra fast approaching, this track is yet another example of why Gallant is on the rise. Follow him on facebook for more on this emerging talent.

Thank You Thursday is a random Thursday (ie; whenever I feel inspired to write) note to just thank an artist for creating something. That could be a song, an album, a video, poetry, or even visual art. It’s just a “hey thanks for doing something cool and contributing to the artistic society. I really appreciate it”. There will be no hate or negative criticism from me in these notes. There will also be no “coulda woulda shoulda” from me. I feel as though art gets judged too much like a test. Especially independent music by mostly unknown artists. It’s hard enough being a nobody artist :cough: ME :cough: and to have your friends, family, and music associates tell you that you need to do this that and the third doesn’t help. How about we just celebrate artists for doing some cool ass shit and say THANKS!

MY BACKGROUND

I have always wanted to review albums but felt that since I was a musician it was “Wrong”. Yup, got over that shit quick. I love listening to music and dissecting it just as I do creating and producing it. I especially love when music is interesting, creative, and original. I really don’t care what genre it is as long as it has “BALLZ”. What are “Ballz” you may ask? BALLZ are kind of this x-factor that a song, artist, or album has. It’s what seperates it from the norm. There are certain pop songs and pop artists that have BALLZ too. An example of an album with BALLZ (just my opinion y’all) would be Kanye West – Yeezus. You have either heard it or heard about it. You either love it, hate it or give zero fucks. But, this album has some serious juevos. It just really doesn’t care at all. An example of a pop song with BALLZ (just my opinion y’all) that came out this year would be Taylor Swift – Trouble. Extremely damn well done. I mean from the production to the lyrics, to the composition to the arrangement. It’s just has this edge to it even though it’s catchy as fuck and straight up pop (can you get anymore pop than Taylor Swift?!).

But those are mainstream artists. This note is exclusively for the BEFOREBIGS blog which means that they have to still have some underground cred to their names and well… be unknown to most people. So with that I’m going to give a huge thank you to GABE & SUNNY’s album “FREE CANDY”. This album has some serious BALLZ. Gabriel Niles (who is a long time music friend and collaborator) freaked the shit out of this project. He somehow combined dream pop, indie shoe gaze, hip hop, and electronic music into this pretty much genreless (or too many genres?!) work of art. I think I’m on listen 10 or 11 of the whole album but as with most thing, this shit ages with time. The creativity lies within how you don’t know what is a sample and what was played. The originality factor is within the lack of a defined genre but you can hear every genre that he is pulling from, and the interesting credit goes to how well he utilizes Sunny’s vocals. They are sparse at times, and very in your face at other times. This is one of those albums where you can actually hear and feel the producers executive reach and power. This is the type of album that I strive to make when collaborating with other like minded artists. I wouldn’t say I’m jealous but I’m quick to say that this album is a huge inspiration and wake up call to me that anything can be done. Stream Free Candy below.

So again, THANK YOU mr. Gabriel Niles and Mrs. Sunny Gicz (and a secret shout out to Ced Hughes) for blessing the interwebz with your creation. I could have written another 5 pages and broken down each song but you know what… I’ll let the cool people that read this do that for themselves.

The GTW, also known as Greater Than Wealth, is an upcoming rapper/singer/producer based in Chicago and managed by the same chick who got G-Eazy where he is today. I was on the fence when initially hearing The GTW last year but have heard much progress in his new tracks, which are more diverse, not the typical chill hip-hop that was popularized in the 90′s and overall each song songs different from the next.

Today we are excited to present Best You Never Heard Volume 7: Summer Underdogs. Shouts to @E_Wish1 on the cover art and the artists for agreeing to have their songs featured on this mix.

With our latest edition of Best You Never Heard, we put out songs that have fun feel-good summer vibes from artists we believe should be getting way more attention for their music. Our criteria for selecting these artists is they had to have under 5,000 facebook fans or under 10,000 twitter followers.

We continue to help young, upcoming musicians in their efforts to reach mainstream success. Many of the people featured on our previous mixes have gone on to accomplish a lot within the music industry.

Below is our 12-track mix that will surely add to your favorite music list and provide you with new artists to listen to that we consider to be the Best You Never Heard. Enjoy!

Wildcat! Wildcat! has a sound that is really different from other acts out there, I can’tquite think of an act to compare them with as they have this real alternative sound that can be best described as indie electronic pop R&B.

However, I’d prefer to let the music speak for itself and Buzzbands.LA does a pretty good review on them., so stream and download their three releases, “The Chief”, “End Of The World Everyday” and “Mr. Quiche”.

If you dig the music above, watch the official video to “Mr. Quiche” and some links to keep up with Wildcat! Wildcat!(more…)

What We Do

BEFORE THE BIGS is about providing you with the best up-and-coming musicians while assisting their efforts to break into mainstream. We feature artists and their music from a variety of genres including hip-hop, indie/alternative, rock, pop mashups, and electronica/remixes.

All mp3s are for promotional purposes only. If you believe a song has been wrongfully acquired and posted please contact us at BeforeBigs@gmail.com